Mud Flap Installation Instructions

Written by thomas west

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Mud flaps are mounted behind the wheels on vehicles to keep stones, rocks, mud and other road debris from being thrown up by the tires and onto the body sides. Without mud flaps, the paintwork on a vehicle may become chipped, which may require frequent touch-ups to keep rust from forming. Mud flaps also keep corrosive road salts that may be used in some areas to melt snow and ice from the road surface from spraying onto the body sides.

Skill level:

Moderate

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Things you need

Lug wrench

Floor jack

Two jack stands

Mild cleaner

Clean rag

Pencil

Phillips or flat blade screwdriver

Drill bit set

Power drill

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Instructions

1

Work on either the front or rear of the vehicle at a time. Undo the wheel lugs on the end of the vehicle you will be working on with a lug wrench slightly while the wheels are still on the ground. Raise vehicle with a floor jack and place jack stands under the lower suspension control arms. Lower the jack. Finish removing the wheel lugs, then remove the wheels as this makes the mud flap installation easier.

2

Clean the inner wheel house liner and the lower body side in the area where the mud flap will be installed with a mild cleaner and a clean rag. Hold the mud flap to the body side lip on the lower side of the rear of the wheel housing. Line up the mounting holes with any factory installed wheelhouse liner retaining clips. Mark through the mounting holes on the mud flap where there are no factory clips with a pencil. Lower the mud flap from the body side.

3

Remove the factory clips that lined up with the mud flap mounting holes with either a Phillips or flat blade screwdriver, depending on your vehicle. Insert a drill bit that is slightly smaller than the mounting screws that came with the mud flap mounting kit into a power drill. Drill through the pencil marks you made on the vehicle with the drill.

4

Hold the mud flap back up to the vehicle body and line up all of the mounting holes. Replace the factory clips through the mud flap mounting holes and into their original holes in the vehicle.

5

Secure the mud flap with the screws or clips provided through the mud flap mounting holes and into the holes you drilled into the vehicle.

6

Reach behind the edge of the mud flap on the outer side and pull the protective tape from the mud flap surface. Press the mud flap up against the body side for a few seconds for the adhesive to take hold. Skip this step if your mud flaps do not have adhesive strips.

7

Replace the wheels and tighten the wheel lugs with a lug wrench. Raise the vehicle again with the floor jack and remove the jack stands. Lower the floor jack and tighten the wheel lugs one last time in a criss-cross configuration.

Tips and warnings

If you do not have a basic mechanical know-how and are not comfortable drilling holes into your car, have a professional install your mud flaps.